16. Christianity's Not True. Now What?

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Published 2024-04-25
What's the meaning of life? Does God exist? Is there life after death? Why should I be moral? Answers to your questions here.

Chapters:
00:00-02:46 - The pain of deconstruction
02:47-03:55 - We're here to offer support
03:56-05:13 - Arethion is a spiritual community
05:14-06:27 - No we're not a cult
06:28-07:26 - Who am I if I'm not a Christian?
07:27-09:04 - Does God exist?
09:05-13:07 - Is there life after death?
13:08-20:02 - Why should I be moral?
20:03-25:32 - Who did we get here?
25:33-29:11 - What's the meaning of life?
29:12-35:27 - How do I live a good life?
35:28-36:13 - What about the practical stuff?
36:14-39:07 - Should I tell others the truth about Christianity?

Series Bibliography:
Barker, Dan - God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction
Barker, Dan - Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists
Buckser, Andrew and Glazier, Stephen D. - The Anthropology of Religious Conversion
Callahan, Tim - Secret Origins of the Bible
Carrier, Richard - “How We Know Daniel Is a Forgery”
Carrier, Richard - “Josephus on Jesus? Why You Can’t Cite Opinions Before 2014”
Carrier, Richard - Not the Impossible Faith
Carrier, Richard - On the Historicity of Jesus
Carrier, Richard - Sense and Goodness Without God
Conway, Flo and Siegelman, Jim - Snapping: America’s Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change
Coogan, Michael D. - The Oxford History of the Biblical World
Copan, Paul - Is God a Moral Monster?
Craig, William Lane - Reasonable Faith
Currid, John D. And Chapman, David W. - The ESV Archaeology Study Bible
Dever, William G. - Did God Have a Wife?
Dever, William G. - Has Archaeology Buried the Bible?
Durkheim, Emile - The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life
Ehrman, Bart D. - Forged: Writing in the Name of God
Ehrman, Bart D. - Forgery and Counterforgery
Ehrman, Bart D. - God’s Problem
Ehrman, Bart D. - Heaven and Hell
Ehrman, Bart D. - How Jesus Became God
Ehrman, Bart D. - Jesus Before the Gospels
Ehrman, Bart D. - Jesus Interrupted
Ehrman, Bart D. - Lost Christianities
Ehrman, Bart D. - Misquoting Jesus
Ehrman, Bart D. - The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture
Ehrman, Bart D. - The Triumph of Christianity
Finkelstein, Israel and Silberman, Neil Asher - The Bible Unearthed
Geisler, Norman L. And Howe, Thomas - The Big Book of Bible Difficulties
Geisler, Norman L. And Turek, Frank - I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist
Hagglund, Martin - This Life
Ham, Ken, Ed. - Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions: Volume 1
Ham, Ken and Hodge, Bodie and Chaffey, Tim, Eds. - Demolishing Supposed Bible Contradictions: Volume 2
Harwood, William - Mythology’s Last Gods
Helms, Randel - Gospel Fictions
Helms, Randel - Who Wrote the Gospels?
Holden, Joseph M. and Geisler, Norman - The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible
Kennedy, Titus M. - Unearthing the Bible
Koukl, Gregory - Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions
Lewis, C.S. - A Grief Observed
Loftus, John W. - The Christian Delusion
Loftus, John W. - Christianity Is Not Great
Loftus, John W. - The End of Christianity
Loftus, John W. - Why I Became an Atheist
Loftus, John W. and Rauser, Randal - God or Godless?
MacDonald, Dennis - Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?
MacDonald, Dennis - The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark
MacDonald, Dennis - Mythologizing Jesus
Matthews, Victor H. And Benjamin, Don C. - Old Testament Parallels
Mazar, Amihai - Archaeology of the Land of the Bible 10,000-586 BCE
McDowell, Josh and McDowell, Sean - Evidence That Demands a Verdict
McLaughlin, Rebecca - Confronting Christianity
Newberg, Andrew and Waldman, Mark Robert - Why We Believe What We Believe
Nicolaou, Corinna - A None’s Story
Nongbri, Brent - Before Religion
Shanks, Hershel - Ancient Israel
Stavrakopoulou, Francesca - God: An Anatomy
Strobel, Lee - The Case for Christ
Strobel, Lee - The Case for a Creator
Strobel, Lee - The Case for Faith
Wallace, J. Warner - Cold-Case Christianity
Wolff, Catherine - Beyond: How Humankind Thinks About Heaven
ChristianAnswers.net - “Is the Bible Accurate Concerning the Existence and Destruction of the Walls of Jericho?”

All Comments (21)
  • @JeremyWWWWW
    I am not at all sure why the algorithm offered this up, but I am glad I spent the 40 minutes to watch all the way through. At the age of 62, I have been a life long agnostic/atheist and a student of the sciences. I want to confess to you that at the beginning of the video I easily fell into the same hurtful, isolating response as did your atheist friend. But 40 minutes later, I am deeply touched by your love for your fellow Christians and ex-christians, and the deep intelligence with which you offer them an alternate path. Well done Sir.
  • Fascinating. Good stuff! Would love to discuss doing a podcast with you. Let me know if you'd be interested. :)
  • @Bjl1976
    When I first left the faith I thought that evrryone would want to know the real truth no matter if it wasnt what I believed but found that alot of people dont really care or want to know the real truth if it disturbs their beliefs. Most were not the least bit interested in the discussion
  • @Bjl1976
    Thousands of near death experiencers are overwhelmingly similiar in aspects that occur when you die. Alot of them do see family members and whatnot.
  • I just want to say its very stressful carrying the weight of all human sacrifice on my back i was born a human infant. I dont deserve this
  • @Dante-vf4sd
    There is no doubt that the number of different religions in the world makes it a challenge to know which one is correct. First, let’s consider some thoughts on the overall subject and then look at how one might approach the topic in a manner that can actually get to a right conclusion about God. The challenge of different answers to a particular issue is not unique to the topic of religion. For example, you can sit 100 math students down, give them a complex problem to solve, and it is likely that many will get the answer wrong. But does this mean that a correct answer does not exist? Not at all. Those who get the answer wrong simply need to be shown their error and know the techniques necessary to arrive at the correct answer. How do we arrive at the truth about God? We use a systematic methodology that is designed to separate truth from error by using various tests for truth, with the end result being a set of right conclusions. Can you imagine the end results a scientist would arrive at if he went into the lab and just started mixing things together with no rhyme or reason? Or if a physician just started treating a patient with random medicines in the hope of making him well? Neither the scientist nor the physician takes this approach; instead, they use systematic methods that are methodical, logical, evidential, and proven to yield the right end result. This being the case, why should theology—the study of God—be any different? Why believe it can be approached in a haphazard and undisciplined way and still yield right conclusions? Unfortunately, this is the approach many take, and this is one of the reasons why so many religions exist. That said, we now return to the question of how to reach truthful conclusions about God. What systematic approach should be used? First, we need to establish a framework for testing various truth claims, and then we need a roadmap to follow to reach a right conclusion. Here is a good framework to use: 1. Logical consistency—the claims of a belief system must logically cohere to each other and not contradict in any way. As an example, the end goal of Buddhism is to rid oneself of all desires. Yet, one must have a desire to rid oneself of all desires, which is a contradictory and illogical principle. 2. Empirical adequacy—is there evidence to support the belief system (whether the evidence is rational, externally evidential, etc.)? Naturally, it is only right to want proof for important claims being made so the assertions can be verified. For example, Mormons teach that Jesus visited North America. Yet there is absolutely no proof, archaeological or otherwise, to support such a claim. 3. Existential relevancy—the belief system should address the big questions of life described below and the teachings should be accurately reflected in the world in which we live. Christianity, for example, provides good answers for the large questions of life, but is sometimes questioned because of its claim of an all-good and powerful God who exists alongside a world filled with very real evil. Critics charge that such a thing violates the criteria of existential relevancy, although many good answers have been given to address the issue. The above framework, when applied to the topic of religion, will help lead one to a right view of God and will answer the four big questions of life: 1. Origin – where did we come from? 2. Ethics – how should we live? 3. Meaning – what is the purpose for life? 4. Destiny – where is mankind heading? But how does one go about applying this framework in the pursuit of God? A step-by-step question/answer approach is one of the best tactics to employ. Narrowing the list of possible questions down produces the following: 1. Does absolute truth exist? 2. Do reason and religion mix? 3. Does God exist? 4. Can God be known? 5. Is Jesus God? 6. Does God care about me? First we need to know if absolute truth exists. If it does not, then we really cannot be sure of anything (spiritual or not), and we end up either an agnostic, unsure if we can really know anything, or a pluralist, accepting every position because we are not sure which, if any, is right. Absolute truth is defined as that which matches reality, that which corresponds to its object, telling it like it is. Some say there is no such thing as absolute truth, but taking such a position becomes self-defeating. For example, the relativist says, “All truth is relative,” yet one must ask: is that statement absolutely true? If so, then absolute truth exists; if not, then why consider it? Postmodernism affirms no truth, yet it affirms at least one absolute truth: postmodernism is true. In the end, absolute truth becomes undeniable. Further, absolute truth is naturally narrow and excludes its opposite. Two plus two equals four, with no other answer being possible. This point becomes critical as different belief systems and worldviews are compared. If one belief system has components that are proven true, then any competing belief system with contrary claims must be false. Also, we must keep in mind that absolute truth is not impacted by sincerity and desire. No matter how sincerely someone embraces a lie, it is still a lie. And no desire in the world can make something true that is false. The answer of question one is that absolute truth exists. This being the case, agnosticism, postmodernism, relativism, and skepticism are all false positions.
  • Has this guy heard of Jordan Maxwell because I know what Maxwell says and his unbelievable
  • Really enjoyed the series. Could you make a video about the prophecies in the bible
  • I'll demonstrate Jesus as The Cornerstone in my video 'Begining of understanding ' Your perception is what's wrong
  • Are they bothering YOU by believing or hurting you? I don't believe in fanatics but other than that leave them be.
  • @velkyn1
    no need for imaginary nonsense. Humans give ourselves and others meaning and purpose.
  • @TheTruthKiwi
    Pretty much every isolated civilisation on earth has made up its own myths and legends regarding origins and gods. It is human nature to make things up when we don't have all the facts and are afraid of the unknown. Christianity, judaism and islam are no different. We exist in a natural universe, not a magical one. 😊
  • @pwrofmusic
    😂😂😂 you will know it when your time comes. Because there is God and even science acknowledges it. So for you to say Christianity isn't true, you have a hard time when you do realise it is. BTW you only say it isn't true because you want something that suits you but deep dive into Christianity youl know it's true.
  • @markrogers64
    You can still live the Christian values of nonviolence, compassion, forgiveness, grace, equality, acceptance, and humility. And you can explore the doctrines from a non literal, metaphorical and artistic perspective.